Weather service asks spotters to be alert as storms move through Spokane region while radar is down

The brunt of a large thunderstorm passed south of Spokane on Wednesday, but the city caught some rain showers and winds.

The National Weather Service’s radar currently is not operating while it underwent an upgrade that will be done July 5, weather service meteorologist Mark Turner said.

The weather service started Wednesday by advising its weather spotters to keep a careful watch on the skies during the afternoon and evening, as a potentially severe system moved into the Inland Northwest.

The storm caused the Kendall Yards Night Market to be canceled on Wednesday evening, according to a post on its Facebook page.

The weather service used satellite and lightning activity data, in addition to radar from Missoula, to track the storm as it moved northeast from Oregon, meteorologist Robin Fox said.

The weather service forecast on Wednesday morning said storms could have brought wind gusts above 40 mph, hail, lightening and “torrential rain.” The areas hit hardest were mostly south of Spokane along the Palouse, including Pullman, Moscow and Lewiston, but no flooding was reported, Turner said.

At 12:30 p.m., the weather service issued a “severe thunderstorm watch,” meaning heavy storms were possible, but by 7 p.m., the chance of a severe thunderstorm dropped.